THE PET FINCHES. 313 



for a brief moment imagined that all the weary interim was 

 to be as nought, in that he realized the dreams of youth 

 but what had shocked him back into the cold, sad world of 

 his desolation ? What, but that he had taken as the reality 

 only the outward show, all dimmed as it really was, for the 

 brilliant and living soul of those vanished reminiscences. 



He must be thrown again upon himself he must shut his 

 too sensitive eyes, until from the darkness the angels of hope 

 and faith arise, and bear him into strength again, to endure 

 the shock which his too gentle spirit has received. 



This little finch, now no longer the quarrelsome scamp, 

 who made General Bern's life so vexed, has become most 

 docile, reliant, and confiding. Everything we do for him 

 he seems to consider quite proper and matter-of-course. He 

 watches our preparations with the eye of a connoisseur, and 

 at once puts to the test all our new schemes for his comfort. 



This seems the more strange because he was formerly so 

 very pugnacious ; if no better antagonist offered, he would 

 stand before the looking-glass, and try most desperately to 

 whip the foe who glared at him with such determined ire. 

 I believe, however, he discovered that secret, and with char- 

 acteristic contempt for humbug, gave up this amusement, 

 when he found, on examination, that there was really no 

 other bird behind the glass, and contented himself with whip- 

 ping every bird which I brought to the room. Now, however, 

 since the death of the Bullfinch, he will not be persuaded 

 to leave his cage, but sits among the grasses which I give 

 him, and sings most charmingly during all the heat of the 

 day. 



This concludes my wife's story of her pet Finches.. Be- 

 fore taking leave of these charming little birds, it may be 

 interesting to hear through other naturalists the entire con- 

 firmation of those traits which we have observed to charac- 

 terize them so strongly in our domestication. The German 

 Bechstein gives us some highly interesting particulars about 



